What does it mean that Joshua took "all that land" in this passage?

When it says Joshua took “all that land,” it is summing up the whole conquest of Canaan under his leadership. The text lists hills, the south country, Goshen, valleys, plains, and the mountain of Israel, from mount Halak in the south up to Baal-gad under mount Hermon in the north. This shows a wide stretch of territory brought under Israel’s control. It does not mean every single town was permanently occupied, but that the main powers and kings were defeated so Israel could receive and divide the land as God had promised to Moses.

Why does the passage say God hardened the hearts of the Canaanites?

The passage says God hardened their hearts so that they would come out to fight Israel, and so be destroyed in battle. This was God’s judgment on their long-standing sins and idol worship. They could have sought peace as the people of Gibeon did, but instead they chose to resist. God gave them over to that stubbornness, so they did not find favor but were wiped out, just as God had commanded Moses. It shows that hardness of heart is dangerous, because it leaves people unwilling to turn and be spared.

Who were the Anakim that Joshua cut off from the mountains?

The Anakim were a group of giant-like warriors who had terrified the earlier Israelite spies. They lived in places like Hebron, Debir, Anab, and in the mountains of Judah and Israel. In this passage, Joshua finally drives them out and destroys them with their cities, so that none are left in the land of Israel except a few who remain in Philistine cities like Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Their defeat shows that strong and frightening enemies cannot stand when God decides to bring them down.

What is meant by "Joshua made war a long time with all those kings"?

The line about Joshua making war “a long time” reminds us that the conquest did not happen in a few quick battles. Though the story can be read in a short sitting, the fighting stretched over several years. God did not give the land all at once, but step by step, with many battles and victories. This slow, steady campaign trained Israel in war, kept the land from becoming empty and overrun, and gave them repeated proofs of God’s help. It shows that God’s promises can be fulfilled over time, not always in sudden moments.

Why was Gibeon the only city that made peace with Israel?

The passage says that no city made peace with Israel except the Hivites living in Gibeon. All the others chose to fight and were taken in battle. Gibeon’s people, however, sought a treaty, even though they used a trick to get it. This shows that peace was possible, but the other cities never even asked for it. God allowed the rest to stay hardened against Israel so that their judgment would fall through war. Gibeon stands out as an example of people who, though flawed in their approach, still chose submission instead of open resistance.

What does it mean that "the land rested from war" at the end of this section?

When it says “the land rested from war,” it means the major campaigns were over. The united Canaanite kings had been defeated, the Anakim had been driven out, and there were no more large battles to stop Israel from settling. Joshua had taken the land and given it as an inheritance to Israel by their tribes. This rest was not yet a perfect or final peace, since some enemies still remained, but it was a real change: the land was no longer in constant conflict. It pictures the kind of rest that comes after long struggle when God’s word is carried out.

Why is the defeat of the Anakim highlighted in this summary of the conquest?

The Anakim are mentioned in a special way because they had once seemed unbeatable. Earlier, their great size and strength had scared Israel so much that the people refused to go into the land. By naming Hebron, Debir, Anab, and the mountains where they lived, the passage shows that these very giants were now cut off. Only a few remained in distant Philistine cities. This shows how completely God had acted for Israel. A threat that had caused deep fear in the past had finally been removed, so the people could live in the land without that burden.

What does this section teach about God’s sovereignty in war and judgment?

This passage shows that God rules over both sides of the conflict. He gives Joshua strength and success so that Israel takes the land. At the same time, He hardens the hearts of the Canaanite cities so that they choose to fight and are judged. Their refusal of peace and their final ruin are not accidents, but part of God’s decision to punish long-standing sin. Yet God also shows mercy to those who seek peace, like Gibeon. In all this, God is the one directing events, using war to carry out both promise to His people and judgment on their enemies.

How can the slow, long war in this passage encourage believers today?

The long war reminds us that God’s work often unfolds over years, not days. Israel had to keep fighting, facing city after city, and only at the end did the land rest from war. Along the way, God dealt with even the greatest threats, like the Anakim, and proved that His promises were reliable. For believers today, this can help when change feels slow or battles seem to pile up. God may train and grow His people over time, but He does not forget what He has said. The final rest may come later, yet it is still sure in His hands.

Josh.11.16

Joshua 11:16

Q: How does this passage show that God kept His promises to Moses?

The passage directly links Joshua’s success to what God had said to Moses. God had promised to drive out the nations, bring down their kings, and give the land of Canaan to Israel as an inheritance. Here we read that Joshua took the whole land “according to all that the Lord said unto Moses,” then gave it to Israel by their tribes. This means the victories, the defeat of strong enemies like the Anakim, and the settling of the land were not random. They were God’s promises coming true in real events and real places.

KJV

So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

Joshua Takes the Whole Land

So Joshua took all that land, the hills, and all the south country, and all the land of Goshen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of Israel, and the valley of the same;

Even from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon: and all their kings he took, and smote them, and slew them.

Joshua made war a long time with all those kings.

There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.

For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses.

¶ And at that time came Joshua, and cut off the Anakims from the mountains, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel: Joshua destroyed them utterly with their cities.

There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Israel: only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there remained.

So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.

Cross References

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